194 



PICTURESQUE SKETCHES 



ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and other reptiles, may have 

 fallen a prey to these rapacious and terrible monsters. 

 Fishes of various kinds were manifestly very abun- 

 dant during the period we are now considering; but, 

 except the shark tribe, we have no knowledge of 

 the existence of any of large size. Those of which 

 the remains are most common were enclosed in ena- 

 melled plates or scales of considerable proportion- 

 ate size, and they possessed powerful teeth, enabling 

 them to prey on the Crustacea and on each other, as 

 well perhaps as on the stony Radiata. Another group 



Fig. 73 



ASPIDORHYNCHUS. 



of fishes provided with sharp conical teeth, and be- 

 longing to the sauroid family, were mostly small, but 

 include some interesting species with very long snouts 

 (see fig. 78). These, no doubt, were rapid swim- 

 mers, while the former were probably slow and heavy 



Fig. 74 



LEPIDOTUS. 



in their movements. One of the more common forms 

 of the latter is represented in outline in figure 74. 



